Zibbs Family Fun
by Zivacentric
Summary: Established Zibbs. Will be a collection of family-themed one-shots in my various universes. 1st chapter is set in "Waves of Grace" following Ch 25. 2nd chapter falls in that story, as well, after Ch 32. Thanks for reading!
1. Car Shopping For Three

_A/N: So, I haven't yet watched the Season 11 premiere, though I probably will tonight or tomorrow. I decided to mark this night with something that makes me smile to counter my aching heart and trepidation over CdP leaving the show - and my anger, as I have moved into that stage of grief on more than one level._

_This is the first of what will be a collection of one-shots (well, at least I think they will be one-shots *snort*) along the theme of family with Ziva and Gibbs. There will be no rhyme or reason to the order and I cannot say how often it will be updated. Therefore, if you like the idea, this one would be a good one to put on alert. I will say, however, that the 2nd one is already written and is loosely planned to go up after the next update of Grace._

_If these chapters fall into a certain time or universe, I will tell you. This first one falls in "Waves of Grace" between Chapters 25 & 26. As you may remember, the concept of shopping for new vehicles came up in the anniversary chapter (#25) and this is my version of how that might have gone. =)_

_I really hope you enjoy it, and that you'll review and let me know, if you do._

* * *

"Thought we could look at these first."

Gibbs pointed to the hand-written list he held, then took Ziva's hand and led her through the car lot. As his destination became clear, Ziva stopped in her tracks.

Since when had car dealers started selling Army surplus?

The pull of her weight against his arm made him pause and look back at his wife.

"_That _is what you want me to look at?" She pointed in the direction in which she thought they were headed.

He nodded.

"Jethro. I no longer live in a war zone. I am not driving around in an urban assault vehicle."

"But –"

"Jethro."

"But, _Consumer Reports_ says –"

Ziva's eyes widened, then her brow lifted as she considered him.

"'_Consumer Reports_?'" she repeated in disbelief.

He nodded.

Before he could launch into the merits of this vehicle that had been conveyed in said report, Ziva moved to stand right in front of him. She raised a hand and took hold of his face, her fingers gripping one cheek and her thumb the other, effectively cupping his chin in the web of her hand between her forefinger and thumb as she gazed at him searchingly.

"Who are you and what have you done with my husband?"

Gibbs looked away. If he was a man who blushed, Ziva would have sworn he did so right then.

Just a little.

Ziva considered him another moment.

"Jethro?" she asked softly.

He just shrugged lightly at first.

Then, allowing his gaze to find hers again, he rested his hands on her hips under the cape he'd bought her and tipped his forehead against hers.

"He turned into a dad again," he mumbled endearingly.

Now, how in the world was she supposed to resist that?

When Gibbs had fallen in love with Ziva, his worry gear started engaging more often, but had been tempered by the certain knowledge that if anyone could take care of themselves, it was Ziva.

That didn't mean nothing could or would happen, but it did allow him to relax a little. He didn't feel like he needed to be hyper-vigilant all the time.

However, from the moment she'd told him they were pregnant, that worry gear had shifted into overdrive.

Now he had two of them to worry about, one of whom would be completely helpless for a very long time.

Of course, his experience of losing Shannon and Kelly in one fell swoop while they were inside a vehicle didn't help the current matter under consideration.

He was really trying not to smother her, but …

Ziva's hand slid down from his cheek and she encircled his chest with her arms under his coat.

"I see," she murmured lovingly.

Because she did.

That did not mean, however, that she was going to drive around the city in something that looked like it ought to have a machine gun mounted to the top.

"Perhaps we could compromise a little," she suggested, tilting her head to gaze at him with affection and understanding. "What else is on your list?"

His characteristic smile tugged at his lips and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

And he moved to the next possibility he'd written down.

They took their time – which was not typical for either of them when shopping for a new vehicle or much else, for that matter. However, Ziva refused to let them be rushed, sensing that what was going on under the surface for him needed to be tended and she was determined to honor that, even if it remained largely unsaid.

In words, that is.

When the first salesman who approached them annoyed her one too many times, Ziva marched into the show room, observed for a moment, then selected a woman who appeared competent – and who did _not _fall on her like a starving rat on the last piece of cheese.

It also didn't hurt that the woman had a picture of a young Marine on her desk.

They checked out all the ideas on the list Gibbs had created – except for that first one - after he 'fessed up to getting McGee to help him research safety ratings. They looked at a few other cars, as well.

They took the three they liked best out for test drives.

After driving them, there was one that Ziva liked the most, though it was a little larger than she'd expected to buy. It was more like a small SUV than a car, though it definitely handled more like a car than a truck. It was also stylish, even a little sporty, and had a large cargo area that could be converted to a third row of seats that even had enough leg room for adults.

She made Jethro check that part personally, figuring she'd need a crane to haul her out if she tried to climb back there in her current pregnant state.

When the saleswoman shared that this particular car had above-average safety rating scores in this class of vehicles – a 9.8 out of 10 – Jethro was sold.

And when she added that this model had been voted the "Best for Families" in the class of small SUVs, that sealed the deal for Ziva, as well.

Well, that and the fact that she could get it in a bright candy-apple color called "Crystal Red" and with heated seats – one of her favorite features on her Mini.

The cold was not Ziva's best friend.

When she wasn't carrying around a whole 'nother person inside her that drove up her own body temperature, that is.

She asked the helpful-but-not-pushy saleswoman if they could have a moment and the woman wisely, immediately gave them some space.

Ziva turned to her husband, leaning in to rest against him.

"'Best for Families,'" she repeated softly, smiling as she laid her hand on his chest. "That is us, yes?"

Gibbs smiled back at her, raising a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"That's us," he agreed in a voice that had deepened with emotion, placing a hand over hers where it lay on his chest and squeezing gently. Then his blue eyes twinkled. "And, _Consumer Reports _likes this one, too."

In fact, it had tied for second place on his list for its above-average safety rating.

Ziva laughed and hugged him tightly, perhaps never loving him more than at that very moment.

"And now we look for you," she announced with a determined eye.

"Aren't you getting tired?" he side-stepped, ready to be done with this for today.

"A little," she admitted, "but I want to know we have you taken care of, too."

Then she smirked.

"And this saleswoman does not make me want to pull my knife."

He chuckled at that and allowed her to lead him to the mid-sized SUVs that they'd discovered on their tour, the ones that looked and drove more like a truck than a car.

Something like that was a better fit for him than what they'd chosen for her.

Ziva looked around and caught the eye of the saleswoman who was keeping a discreet eye on them from a respectable distance. Once the woman joined them, Ziva explained that it appeared they had chosen the other one for her and would now like to look at something different for her husband.

They ended up finding one in the used car lot that was only a couple of years old, was low in mileage, and had the safety angle covered, as well. It wasn't silver, but Ziva was a fan of the True Blue Pearl the color was listed as and whispered in his ear that she liked the way it brought out his eyes.

He nearly rolled those eyes at that, but at least it was a darker blue that reminded him of the jacket for his Dress Blues from his former life rather than some phoo-phooey color.

They took it for a test drive and returned to the lot in fairly short order.

Before getting out of the vehicle, Ziva hugged his arm and wheedled, "It even has seat warmers."

He practically snorted and lifted a brow at her. He couldn't have cared less about heated seats and she knew it.

"I will very likely be riding in this, too, on a regular basis," she pointed out.

The saleswoman was approaching them, but Gibbs leaned close to his wife and murmured, "You don't trust me to keep your beautiful ass warm?"

Ziva blushed lightly even as her lips twitched. Putting her own lips near his ear, she responded in kind.

"You are my very favorite way to have my ass warmed and you do an excellent job of it. However, that might be difficult while you are driving, especially with our son looking on from the back seat."

Oh.

Good points.

She grinned with a knowing twinkle in her eyes.

True Blue Pearl with seat warmers it was.

The paperwork part went remarkably smoothly. Gibbs insisted that Ziva get exactly what she wished for with regard to all the different options, even if that meant her car would be brand new and they'd have to order it in off another lot to get everything she wanted. The saleswoman assured them it would be in within the week.

He was perfectly happy with the one they found for him. She drove it home – contentedly ensconced in the driver's seat with the seat warmer on low, providing just the right amount of warmth on this January day - while he followed in his silver truck that would be kept for hauling and such, at least for now.

They'd already made arrangements to sell Ziva's Mini to a friend of Tim's once she got her new car.

All the way home, Gibbs tried to decide if he should tell her he was getting her windows replaced with bullet-proof glass or if he should just do it and take the consequences.

Or … maybe he should spring it on her during one of those wickedly hot moments in bed where she'd agree to anything if he'd just stop tormenting her and –

Take.

Her.

_Now._

He grinned as he considered the bonus he got out of that, as well.

Yep, that was definitely the plan.

And when his wife turned the tables and got him to agree to replacing his own windows, too, he considered himself lucky that she hadn't been trying to convince him to paint his SUV some phoo-phooey blue that matched his eyes exactly.

'cause, God knows, right at that moment with her mouth hovering just out of reach and the tip of her tongue teasing him unmercifully, he'd have agreed to that, too.

_~ The End ~_


	2. The Shopping List

_A/N__: This little ditty has been drafted for a while, waiting for the right time to be posted. The time has arrived. It makes me smile and I needed that. =) I'm also breaking my usual pattern and posting without hours of obsessive editing. Hopefully, we'll all think that worked out all right LOL. While this is more sweet than full of family fun, it still feels like it belongs here in this collection of one-shots. _

_Now, Tony is a little different here than I've written him in quite some time. Maybe it's been a while since he's seen Ziva and Gibbs together in their married life or maybe he's just having a moment of difficulty shifting out of his work world where Gibbs is the number one ass-kicker into the real ;) world where Jethro would happily do just about anything for his wife. Tony's not trying to be insensitive and I'm not being mean to Tony. This is just the side of him that popped up for this little story. _

_This is e__stablished Zibbs and falls after Chapter 32 in the "Waves of Grace" universe. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Team Gibbs was in the bullpen still working, but it was near the end of their shift. They had taken advantage of not catching a new case today to take care of some very boring, but much needed paperwork housekeeping.

Jethro was in the process of reviewing a stack of forms and other things that needed his signature, while Tony and Tim were at their desks finishing off the last of the reports they were going to tackle today.

There were more to be done, but those could wait for another uneventful day.

Trent was down in the lab with Abby. A quiet day was a good one for the probie agent to get more familiar with her world and forensic expertise.

Ducky and Jimmy had gone through their inventory of supplies and done some of the kind of tidying up that one often puts off for a rainy day, but both already had their coats on down in the morgue and were wishing the hands of the clock would move just a little faster.

Though Ziva wasn't a formal part of their team anymore, she was still giving them a hand as often as possible from her little broom closet of an office – or from the squad room when Gibbs and Vance let her get away with it. However, right now she was at home with her feet up after a day of working at the FBI.

And everyone was hoping this particular MCRT didn't catch a case this close to the end of their work day.

When Gibbs' cell phone rang, Tony cringed. There was an Ohio State basketball game on TV tonight that had his name on it, to be accompanied by a pizza and some cold beer.

Jethro pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the display. With a smile, he opened it.

"Hey," he said in a soft, affectionate voice.

"Phew! Ziva," Tony muttered under his breath.

The Very Special Agent was only vaguely listening to their conversation until he heard Gibbs say, "Ziver. I said it was no problem. What else do we need?"

Jethro began shuffling around his desk for something to write on. He heard a soft _Gibbs_ and looked up just as a small pad sailed through the air from McGee's direction and landed on his desk.

Gibbs wordlessly nodded his thanks. McGee gave a small smile and a nod back.

"Okay. Milk. What else?" He jotted a couple more things down. "That all?"

There was a pause while he was apparently listening.

"No, you don't need to go out tomorrow and get the rest. Just tell me and I'll get all of it on the way home."

Another short pause for listening.

"Ziva. The list."

More listening, this time with writing mixed in as he wrote down several more items.

"Don't see frozen pizza here," he observed, referring to one of her current cravings.

One minute it was vegetable deluxe and the next it was pepperoni - much to her amazement, as she'd never been one to eat pepperoni too often.

And her favorite was one certain brand of the frozen variety, oddly enough, though she wouldn't turn down take-out.

Or delivery.

He listened, then smirked.

Yep, that's what he thought.

She was pretty sure she'd been eating too much of it.

Fresh raspberries were among her cravings, too, and had been her second item on the list because she felt good about eating as many of those as she wanted – and she wanted a lot of them. Pizza ... not so much of the "feeling good" part there.

So, she was trying to tame her craving by not having it in the house.

But he knew what that meant – he'd be making a run for it sometime, so he should just get it now.

Affectionately, and pragmatically, her husband put pizza on the list and then added frozen vanilla yogurt and hot fudge sauce for good measure without even asking, or he'd be making a run for that, too.

"Got it. Should be leaving here soon. If ya think of something else, call me." Ziva said something on the other end of the line that made him smile. "Me, too."

Gibbs hung up the phone and peeled off the top page of the pad. He put that page with his list on it in his pocket and called out, "McGee."

When the younger agent looked up, the team leader tossed the pad back.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Boss."

Tony just sat at his desk looking a little stunned. Had Gibbs really just jotted down a grocery list to take care of on the way home like countless other spouses across the country were probably doing right about then?

Gibbs _hated _grocery shopping.

Which was undoubtedly why Ziva had tried to only give him the couple of most-needed items for tonight.

Inside, DiNozzo shook his head as though trying to clear it.

Even though the couple had been "out" to the others for close to two years, sometimes when their team leader was a doting husband first and a kick-ass team leader second, it still threw the senior agent for a loop.

He started to say something, then closed his mouth.

"Something on your mind, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked without even looking up from the report to which he'd gone back to reviewing.

"Uh, no, Boss."

But something clearly was, and after he'd opened and closed his mouth once more, this time with a finger pointed in the air thoughtfully, Gibbs warned, "Don't make me come over there. Spit it out."

"It's just ... you're picking up milk - and a lot more - on the way home."

Gibbs looked at him and managed to communicate _Yeah? So?_ without saying a word.

"Look," Tony began. "You and Ziva are great together and you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but this whole -" He waved a hand back and forth as though looking for the right word to describe what he meant, hopefully one that wouldn't get him slapped upside the head. A word fitting both those categories eluded him, so he just skipped to, "Doesn't really go with the whole 'second b is for bastard.' I mean, that guy picks up milk on the way home from work when his wife calls?"

Vance walked down the steps with his briefcase and heard that last part.

"He does if he wants to keep the wife," he said without breaking stride, taking the toothpick out of his mouth just long enough to share his opinion.

Gibbs' characteristic smirk tugged at his lips as Leon went on through to the elevator.

Tony still looked ... befuddled. Like he was having a moment where it just wasn't easy to reconcile these very different sides of Gibbs in his head.

"Well, Tony, I think it's nice. Husbands and wives should do things like that for each other."

"Well, nobody asked you, now did they, McSuck-up?" DiNozzo retorted without heat, more for form than substance, feeling a little defensive.

Gibbs signed his name on the last report, stood and gathered his things. After patting his pocket to make sure he had his shopping list and his phone, he headed out, stopping in front of his senior agent's desk on the way.

Putting one hand on the desktop, he spoke.

"More than one side to me these days, Tony, including one that will stop and get milk when my wife calls - and is even glad she asked rather than deciding not to bother me and to just take care of it herself, especially when she's nine months pregnant. Hope you're lucky enough to find that side of yourself some day."

Tony stayed quiet, but, deep down ...

He hoped so, too.

The older man leaned in further.

"In the meantime ..." He reached around and head-slapped his senior agent. "Stop being so hard on McGee."

As DiNozzo rubbed the back of his head with a grimace (and a little relief), Gibbs smirked and headed out, tossing an observation over his shoulder.

"See, the old bastard's still in here somewhere."

_~ The End ~_


End file.
